Technology on deck

A sampling of the electronics aboard USNS Bruce C. Heezen:

* ISS-60 software: Collects, stores and processes oceanographic data. Provides

secure network connections and data broadcasts from the ship's central computer

subsystem to its integrated navigation subsystem and other systems and networks.

* Navstar GPS: Satellite-based radio navigation capable of providing

geodetic positions and velocity in three dimensions.

* Weather monitoring system: Provides dedicated temperature, relative

humidity, wind speed and direction, and barometric pressure data to the

mission navigation system.

* Time distribution system: Provides date and time data to all time-critical

systems aboard the ship.

* Dynamic positioning system: Provides automated and manual ship control

for station keeping, trackline following and transmitting from the bridge

or from the ISS-60 software in the main laboratory.

* Multibeam echo sounding system: Sonar system capable of hydrographic

charting in waters up to 11,000 meters deep in real time with pitch, roll,

heave and azimuth correction.

* Deep/shallow water echo sounder system: Provides single-beam data

for depths up to 12,000 meters for checking multibeam information accuracy.

* Sub-bottom profiler: Shallow penetration system capable of determining

the external structure of rocks at depths up to 10,000 meters. Also provides

sediment profiles up to 50 meters.

* Seismic system: Deep penetration sub-bottom profiling system that

generates and receives acoustic impulses from a towed sound projector to

map geological formations.

* Acoustic Doppler: Provides vertical profiles of ocean current speed

and direction at depths up to 380 meters.

* Magnetometer: Uses magnetics for mapping the earth's magnetic field.

* Conductivity, temperature depth system: Provides full ocean profiles

of conductivity and temperature vs. depth for depths up to 7,000 meters.

* Bottom transponder navigation system: Real-time navigation system

for positioning the ship with regard to a fixed acoustic deep-ocean pinger

transponder network.

* Acoustic release system: Provides command and control to activate,

release and locate deep-ocean pingers.